Now that Twitter is not what it once was, I’ve found myself struggling a bit to find my way on that platform. Earlier today I looked back through my recent tweets, and selected 10 insightful quotes worth pondering. This listing includes three books published in 2023, three books published in 2022, three articles, and a sermon.
- Don’t use black/white language to mean bad/good. Just don’t do it (even though it’s biblical). The racist interpretation is too immediate, too easy to infer. –Steve Thorngate (“Should We Avoid Theological Language of Light and Dark?” Christian Century, December 2022)
- Jesus restrained his power, not to show weakness or accept humiliation, but because it was the only way to achieve the greater good. And this has been true of all of our heroic leaders . . . –Otis Moss III (Dancing in the Darkness, 2023)
- The cornerstone of Christ’s example was elevating humanity over dogma. –Tiffany Yecke Brooks (Gaslighted by God, 2022)
- Generally overlooked in the library battles raging around controversial books – and in some cases, defunding – is the reality of what many librarians spend most of their time doing: stewarding public spaces for needy communities. –Emily Belz (“Libraries Aren’t Safe, But They Are Good” in Christianity Today, January/February 2023)
- “The narrative … the story of Christmas calls us to the work of social justice” –Neil G Thomas (Christmas Eve Message at Cathedral of Hope UCC, 2022)
- I want to tell you about Christ as I have met him most clearly – in tents, shelters, and drop-in centers. –Kevin Nye (Grace Can Lead Us Home, 2022)
- . . . nonversion accounts for somewhere between ? and ¾ of all US nones. Explaining “the rise of the nones” therefore is largely a case of explaining how it is that, mostly w/in the last 30 years or so, about 1 in 6 Americans opted out of religion. –S Bullivant (Nonverts: The Making of Ex-Christian America, 2022)
- How does a leader inspire a team who doesn’t feel respected? It’s impossible. –Tiffany L Adams (Polished: The Guide to Excellence, 2023)
- The good life unfolds through time. It is a process. It includes turmoil, calm, lightness, burdens, struggles, achievements, setbacks, leaps forward, and terrible falls. –Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz (The Good Life, 2023)
- If our bodies are so evil, then why does God move so much through them? Because God’s not the one who has a problem with bodies. We are. –Julian DeShazier (“”Our Holy, Human Bodies” in Christian Century, January 2023)
So What?
Read through the ten quotes at least three times.
Select one quote that resonated with you, challenged you, or simply captured your attention. Sit with the quote for a few days allowing time for your reflections to mature.
Finally, share the quote with someone alongside your initial interest and later learnings.